Review: The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu

Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects. It's Pretty Little Liars meets Revenge in this edge-of-your-seat thriller with a shocking twist.

When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.

Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real.

My Thoughts

I love mysteries.  I have loved them since I started reading the Bobbsey Twins when I was really little.  I love reading a story where I'm trying to figure out the clues and the outcome just like the main character is.  I love when I'm kept guessing and not know who or what to trust.  I will never tire of them! The problem is, I'm picky and if the story is too transparent and I can guess things long before they happen I'm not going to love the book.  I wouldn't say that happened with this book, but I had suspicion from the start and they did end up being true.  So that took away from some of the fun of reading it.  I did still like seeing how all the pieces fell into place nicely AND there was a great little twist at the end that made me like the book more.  So in the aspect of being a mystery I liked it.  It held my interest - mostly to see if I had it right and to see if I was right how it all fit. So if you like books like that I say pick it up.

There was one issue I had with the book that was minor but there.  Lexi pretends to be Alicia because she feels as Alicia she can be outgoing and flirty and all that kind of stuff AND she feels this is the "better" way to be.  That her real self as Lexi isn't good enough for people to really like here.  A lot of it stems from the pressure she puts on herself - clearly seen with the whole college drama.  I found this aspect of the novel annoying as best but to a very small degree the wrong message to send.  Thankfully Lexi's ideas are challenged and she does grow, but I just have to mention that it bothered me.  

In the end - good book.  Fun fast read.